“Laying off close to 30 people is something that no owner in our industry wants to do,” Owen told Fox News.
He explained that the decision was not based on a lack of work or opportunity but on a cash-flow crisis he says was created by unpaid money connected to the project.
“It’s a hard thing to do, especially when you know you can finish them and the company can still make money. But we were put in a pretty bad corner.”
Adamson Plumbing participated in the project through a partnership operating under the name Marsh-Adamson, performing plumbing work as part of the construction effort. Owen now contends that his company has been left carrying millions of dollars in unrecovered costs.
The company has filed a $1.72 million mechanic’s lien against the Obama Presidential Center, arguing that it has not received full payment for completed work. A mechanic’s lien is a legal claim that contractors may place against a property when they believe they remain unpaid for labor or materials already provided.
According to Owen, the amount listed in the lien represents only the claims supported by the strongest documentation, including approved change orders, unpaid invoices, and labor expenses. He says the actual financial damage is far greater.
“It doesn’t mean that I’m not going to pursue the $3.9 million in change that we lost overall,” Owen said.
“I’m still working with my legal team on that $3.9 million figure because I feel that it’s only right that we still hold ownership at the presidential center accountable.”
Owen said discussions with Lakeside Alliance—the construction manager overseeing the project—continued for months but ultimately failed to produce a resolution that would keep his business afloat.
According to Owen, the situation reached a critical point just before the Obama Presidential Center officially opened on June 19. He said Lakeside Alliance requested additional overnight plumbing work to help prepare the facility for its opening and agreed to release part of the money his company was allegedly owed.
Owen said his company accepted the arrangement after receiving assurances that a $100,000 payment would be included with the May payment application. Fox News Digital reported reviewing an email that referenced the expected payment.
Despite those assurances, Owen says the money did not arrive before the grand opening, even after his employees completed the requested work.
“We negotiated it in good faith,” Owen said.
“Against my better judgment, I agreed to do the work.”
Without the anticipated payment, Owen says his company lost the financial flexibility it needed to continue operating.
“Not getting that large sum of money just kind of pulled the brakes on the train. It was just the final death blow to the company,” Owen said.
Rather than continue accumulating debt while waiting for additional payments, Owen decided to suspend operations on June 25. The move resulted in approximately 25 union employees losing their jobs, while several other construction projects were abandoned as the business wound down.
According to Owen, the promised payment eventually arrived more than two weeks after operations had already been suspended. The delayed funds also included roughly $35,000 for approved change orders.
While the payment allowed Adamson Plumbing to satisfy one supplier, Owen said it came far too late to reverse the damage that had already been done.
“It’s almost like too little, too late,” he said.
Lakeside Alliance, a joint venture led by Turner Construction alongside UJAMAA Construction, Powers & Sons Construction, Brown & Momen, and Safeway Construction, has acknowledged that contract closeout work remains ongoing following the project’s opening.
In a statement, the company said construction projects of this size frequently require additional work after ribbon-cutting ceremonies have concluded.
“Lakeside Alliance remains committed to working through all outstanding matters to successfully close out the project,” a spokesperson said, Fox News reported.
The construction manager did not directly address Owen’s allegations regarding the unpaid money, layoffs, or the mechanic’s lien.
The dispute marks another challenge for the Obama Presidential Center as contractors continue pursuing payment claims tied to one of Chicago’s most closely watched construction projects. With legal proceedings now underway and additional claims potentially forthcoming, the financial controversies surrounding the development appear far from over.
